Railroad-crossing signal



Nav. 9 1926., 1,606,566

. I. M. FLOWERS,

RAILROAD CROSSING SIGNAL Filed Feb. 27, 1926 2 Sheets-$heet '2 Patented Nov. 9, 1926.

UNITED STATES teoesar,

' ISHAM FLOWERS, or Lunowror, GEORGIA.

' aarLnoan-oaossrlve SIGNAL.-

Application filed February 27, 1926; Serial No. 91,136.

The invention relates to signals to protect vehicular traiiic and grade crossings of highways and has for its object the provision of a mechanically operated signal controlled by a train approaching the highway crossing to display a stop sign and danger signal as a warning to vehicles on the highway. I

.A further object of the invention is the provision of a signal of the character stated comprising a stand adapted to beerected in the roadway adjacent to the track crossing, said stand having a vertical shaft on which are mounted signals having different directional indicia, one to indicate that the highway is clear, and crossing of the tracks will be safe, means being provided by which the shaft is normally held in position to display such a signal, and means connecting the shaft with a bar located on the railroad tracks and adapted to be actuated by the wheels on a train approaching the crossing whereby the shaft will be rotated to display the danger signal and the direction to stop 2 when the train is approaching the crossing, means being provided to return the shaft to its original position and the bar to its original position after the passage of the train.

The invention will be described in detail hereinafter and will be found illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view of a highway crossing of a railroad track, showing the improved signaling means in position thereon,

Figure 2, a longitudinal sectional View on a plane indicated by the line 22 of Figure 1,

Figure 3, a top plan View of the fragment of the track shown in Figure 2,

Figure 4, a transverse sectional view on a plane indicated by the line 4- 1 of Fig ure 3,

Figure 5, a vertical sectional view on a plane indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is a detail View of the direction signal,

Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional view on a plane indicated by the line 77 of Figure 5, and

Figure 8 is a detail view of a modified form of means for actuating the signal.

In the drawings similar reference characters will be used to designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In Figure 1 is shown a highway crossing for railroad tracks in which the highway is designated A, the track B and the crossing 0. Located adjacent to the crossing C and preferably in the middle of the highway A is a signal stand 1 having a vertical shaft 2 j ournaled therein and provided at itsupper end with signal panels 3 and 4, signal panel 3 carrying the directional indicia fGo while the signal panel 4- bears' the directional indicia Stop as shown inthe drawings, Figures 5 and 6. Panel 3 also carries casings 5 having illuminatable panels 6 on both sides of the panel 3, and panel 4 has similar casings 7 with panels 8, the purpose of the illuminatable panels 6 and 8 being to give warning or indicating that the road is clear at night time, it being understood that the casings 5 and 7 may carry illuminating means if desired or the panels 6 and 8 may be properly colored mirrored surfaces to reflect the rays from the lights of approaching vehicles, both of such structures being well known in the art of visible signals.

Secured to shaft 2 is a grooved pulley 9, and 10 designates a contractile coil spring connecting said pulley 9 and one of the walls of the casing 1, and is designed to hold the shaft 2 normally in position to hold the panel 3 visible to the accupants of vehicles on the highway A indicating that the crossing is clear.

Mounted adjacent to one of the rails of the track B and on the inner side of the rail so that it may be engaged by the flanges of the car wheels of trains passing over the track is a bar 11 having pins 12 secured to its under side and slidably mounted in openings in a plate 13 carried by the ties D of the railroad track and having on their lower ends yokes 14: for the purpose hereinafter described. 15 indicates an expansible coil spring mounted on each of the pins 12' and normally tends to raise the bar 11 to position to be engaged by the car wheels. A cable or other flexible member 16 is secured at one of its ends to the grooved pulley 9 and is extended along the track B to a remote position from the highway crossing C and arranged to be actuated by the bar 11 by having its end remote from the end secured to the pulley 9 secured in any suitable manner such as shown in Figures 2 and 3 to one of the ties C of the track B and arranged to be straddled by the yokes 1 1 so that when the bar 11 is depressedby the car wheels, the shaft 2 will be rotated to an arc of ninety degrees to display the panel 4 and thus warn vehicles on the highway A that a train is approaching the cross ing C. 17 indicates direction pulleys for the cable or other flexible member 16 that may be arranged in any manner other than that shown in the drawings as may be required for the most effectual operation of the signal.

To insure a sufiicient rotation of the shaft 2 to insure proper positioning of the signal panels to display the panel 4 carrying the indicia Stop it may be found necessary to provide gearing for actuating the shaft such for instance as shown in Figure 8, in which the flexible member 16 is secured to a gear wheel 18. Gear wheel 18 is geared to pinion 19 on shaft 2 through intermediate gear wheel 20. 21 indicates a spring secured to gear wheel 18 to return it and shaft 2 to normal position after each actuation thereof.

What is claimed is A railroad crossing signal, comprising a stand adapted to be located adjacent to a highway crossing of a railway track, a vertical shaft journaled in said stand, signal panels carried by said shaft and having different directional indicia thereon, a pulley secured to said shaft, a spring connecting said pulley and the stand to hold the shaft normally in position to display one of the signals thereon, a flexible member secured to said pulley at one of its ends, the other end of said flexible member being secured adjacent the track, a bar arranged for engagement by the wheels of a car on the track, pins secured to said bar and having yokes engaging said flexible member, said bar adapted to be depressed to actuate said flexible member and rotate the shaft to display another of the signals thereon, and means to normally hold the bar in position for engagement by the car wheels.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature.

ISHAM M. FLOWERS.- 

